File:A history of Hatfield, Massachusetts, in three parts - I. An account of the development of the social and industrial life of the town from its first settlement. II. The houses and homes of Hatfield, (14597733587).jpg

Identifier: historyofhatfiel00well_0 (find matches)
Title: A history of Hatfield, Massachusetts, in three parts : I. An account of the development of the social and industrial life of the town from its first settlement. II. The houses and homes of Hatfield, with personal reminiscences of the men and women who have lived there during the last one hundred years; brief historical accounts of the religious societies and of Smith Academy; statistical tables, etc. III. Genealogies of the families of the first settlers
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Wells, Daniel White, b. 1842 Wells, Reuben Field, b. 1880, joint author
Subjects:
Publisher: Springfield, Mass. : Pub. under the direction of F.C.H. Gibbons
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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rs from Roxbury; Northampton was settled in1654 by men from towns farther down the river, afterseveral years of planning and preparation. From the Connecticut towns of Hartford, Wethersfield,and Windsor came most of the first settlers of Hadleyand Hatfield. The immediate cause of the establishmentof these two towns, which were the frontier posts duringthe first years of the Indian wars, was a disagreementover church government and ordinances. Mr. Hookerand Rev. John Russell, the pastor of the Wethersfieldchurch, were strict constructionists with regard to Con-gregational polity and opposed to innovations wnichsavored of Episcopacy and Presbyterianism. After thedeath of Mr. Hooker in 1647 his successor, Rev. SamuelStone, introduced into the Hartford church practices whichwere favored by a majority of his church members; but theminority held to their own convictions and decided towithdraw. Mr. Russell, with almost his entire church,sympathized with them. It is unnecessary to go into the
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD. 21 details of the dispute which deeply stirred the whole colonyof Connecticut and was the cause of many ecclesiasticalcouncils. The chief point of contention was the so-calledHalf-way Covenant. by which children of parents notmembers of the church could be baptized. Other issuesconcerned church membership and the rights of the brother-hood. ( See Appendix. Xote 2.) At this day people can with difficulty appreciate thetremendous conflict which the issues seemed to involve.\\ hile a democracy has been evolved from the institutionsestablished by the Xew England pioneers, it must be remem-bered that their first form of government was a theocracyor church state in which control was in the hands of therelatively small number of church members. A crisis was reached in 1658 in the Connecticut townsand preparations were begun for another migration. Thefertility of the valley of the Connecticut was by that timewell known. Men were sent to view the lands to the eastand north

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